Festenstein Castle

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Festenstein Castle
Festenstein 2.JPG
Creation time : early 13th century
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: ruin
Standing position : Unknown assignment
Geographical location 46 ° 30 '43.2 "  N , 11 ° 13' 7.6"  E Coordinates: 46 ° 30 '43.2 "  N , 11 ° 13' 7.6"  E
Festenstein Castle (South Tyrol)
Festenstein Castle

The Burgfest stone is a ruined castle west above Andrian in South Tyrol ( Italy ).

location

The ruin lies on a steep porphyry rock above the Gaider Gorge, about 450 meters above the Etsch valley floor , in the municipality of Appiano .

history

The first owners and the date of construction of the oldest parts of the castle are unknown. The castle is first mentioned in 1395, when it was given to Hans von Vilanders as a fiefdom , but the typology of the castle is likely to date from the early 13th century. Later it was administered by carers . In 1503 the castle was transferred from the Tyrolean sovereigns to Hans Übelhör as a “burnt castle stable” and was probably restored by him himself. In the middle of the 17th century a Franz Lanser took over the property.

In 1897, the German councilor Julius Vogel (1838–1926) bought the half-ruin and had it restored around 1910 and roofed over the keep. After his death the castle was left to decay. In 2008 the ruin became the property of Meinhard Graf Khuen-Belasi . In 2012 and 2013 extensive restorations were carried out, which essentially served to secure the existing wall. The roof of the keep was given a new shape using old tiles. A staircase leading from the gate chamber into the hall has been replaced by a new one made of steel, which leads from the courtyard to the high entrance . The system was cleared of rubble, the masonry was grouted, a cellar and a well shaft were exposed. In consultation with the municipalities of Eppan and Andrian, inspections of the facility should be offered; For events, however, the route situation from Gaid would have to be substantially improved.

investment

A single-storey tower was built on the rock. The rock wall formed the rear of the palace . Upstream was a castle courtyard and a porch with slits. In the Middle Ages , access to the first square castle gate , which is a few meters high, was only possible through an ingenious drawbridge construction , which is hardly recognizable today.

After passing the first gate between the defensive walls , which is now closed, the Burgweg climbs up along the rock. Only after passing a second and third gate do you stand in the small, narrow bend of the weir system. The facility itself, however, is extensive and extends far down the slope on the side facing away from the attacker.

literature

  • Magdalena Hörmann-Weingartner, Jürgen Fricker, Meinhard Khuen-Belasi: Festenstein . In: Magdalena Hörmann-Weingartner (Ed.): Tiroler Burgenbuch. Volume X: Überetsch and South Tyrolean Unterland . Publishing house Athesia, Bozen 2011, ISBN 978-88-8266-780-1 , pp. 50-64.
  • Jürgen Fricker: Festenstein Castle above Andrian. The restoration of a castle ruin in Eppan. In: Arx 40, No. 1, 2018, pp. 19–22.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Josef Weingartner : Bolzano castles. 2., completely redesigned. Aufl. Bozen: Athesia 1953, pp. 75-79.
  2. ↑ Jürgen Fricker: The cultural monument is being restored. In: in Andrian. Number 5, 2010, pp. 2–3.
  3. ↑ Helmut Rizzolli: From rock castle to romantic ruin. In: WIR - the district newspaper in the Überetsch & Unterland. Number 3, March 2012, pp. 16-17.
  4. ^ Jürgen Fricker: Festenstein Castle above Andrian , in: ARX. Castles and palaces in Bavaria, Austria and South Tyrol , published by the South Tyrolean Castle Institute , 1/2018, pp. 19–22

Web links

Commons : Burg Festenstein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Entry in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office